Arthur ‘Buster’ Burt’s 47-year association with auto racing has taken him from Oxford Plains Speedway’s half-mile dirt track in May 1950 to the high-banks of Daytona International Speedway in 1959 to working for a major NASCAR team – Roush Racing.
Buster’s racing career began in Maine, competing at Oxford, Beech Ridge Speedway and Unity Raceway. When the Air Force transferred him to Florida, he raced at tracks all over the state. Buster raced on the old Daytona Beach course and qualified for the Daytona 200 when the speedway opened in 1959.
He worked for Roush Racing hauling the Mark Martin show car to appearances all over the eastern part of the country. Buster helped organize the Maine Legend Car touring series, serving as its first racing director and technical inspector.
Buster Burt and wife Zoe Ann spend their summers in Maine and their winters in Florida.

Harold "Lefty" EllisFlagman

Harold ‘Lefty’ Ellis is considered one the best flagmen to ever twirl the flags in New England.
The first race Lefty ever flagged was in 1949 when Beech Ridge Speedway opened on Memorial Day weekend and for fifteen years, he waved the flags at the Scarborough track. During the early years, Lefty was the flagman wherever the Maine State Stock Car Racing Association promoted a racing event.
Lefty was one of the early "daredevil’ flagmen, controlling the race on the track with stock cars roaring by within a few feet of his unprotected body.
One his favorite "death defying" stunts was to stand in the middle of the track, waving the green flag as the stock cars raced by on both sides.
Thirty-five years after flagging his last race, Mr. Ellis returned to Beech Ridge at its 50th anniversary celebration and flagged the start of a feature race.
Mr. Ellis is a member of the Beech Ridge Motor Speedway/ Maine State Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame.

Ken FarringtonCrew Member/Official

Ken Farrington was a teenager when he was first introduced to stock car racing.
His mother, Mrs. Inez Farrington, handled the publicity for the Pine State Stock Car Racing Association when it was founded in the spring of 1949 – a full year before Oxford Plains Speedway opened.
Ken was at Beech Ridge Speedway when the gates opened for the first time in 1949. He also attended the stock car races held at the Norway Fairgrounds the same year.
The following May, his fifty-plus year association with Oxford Plains Speedway began. Ken never missed a race at Oxford during the 1950’s.
But, it wasn’t until the close of the decade, 1959, when he got to work on a race car – the #81 of Ed Niemi. In the 1960’s, Ken became a crew member for Charlie Huff on the famed #68.
One of Ken’s most memorable moments took place in 1970 when Al Hammond won the Sportsman track championship at Oxford with a motor Ken built.
After two more track championships with Hammond and car owner Tony Dipompo, Ken moved into the position of technical inspector for Oxford. Ken was a familiar face at the speedway every Saturday night until 1987 when the NASCAR Busch North Series was created and he was asked to help the fledgling touring series.
Ken’s guidance as the series’ Technical Director and later Race Director helped the series grow to over 70 cars before his retirement in 1996.
Ken has been honored with the NASCAR Dedication Award (1993), track awards from Holland (NY) Speedway and New Hampshire International Speedway (1996), Oxford Plains Speedway Promoter’s Cup (1998) and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Pro All Stars Series and the Northeast Motorsports Expo.
Ken and his wife of 51 years Phyllis make their home in Oxford, Maine.

Ernie GahanDriver

Ernie Gahan is a true New England racing legend. A racing career, which began in 1948 in his home state of New Hampshire, spanned twenty-eight years.
Ernie won over 300 feature races at over 60 race tracks from Canada to Florida, numerous track championships and, in 1966, the NASCAR Modified National Championship. He competed in eleven NASCAR Grand National (now Nextel Cup) Series races with two top ten finishes including a seventh in the 1962 Daytona 500.
A year later, Ernie along with Bill Wimble and Tiny Lund were honored with the Carnegie Medal for Heroism and the Bud Shuman Award for saving the life of Marvin Panch from his burning sports car he flipped in practice.
Beginning in 1949 and on into the early 1960’s, Ernie was a regular competitor at several Maine race tracks, including Beech Ridge Speedway, Sanford Speedway, Oxford Plains Speedway and the Lewiston Fairgrounds, most often racing and winning in the popular Stoney’s Diner red and white #50 coupes.
Now living in Berwick, Maine, Ernie Gahan is a member of the New England Auto Racing Hall of Fame, New York Racing Hall of Fame and the Beech Ridge Speedway/Maine State Stock Car Racing Association Hall of Fame.

Dana GravesDriver

Dana Graves first climbed into a stock car in 1958 at the old Exeter Raceway and hung up his racing helmet for the final time in 1989. In between, Dana won an estimated 200 races and eight track championships.
During his thirty-two year racing career, Dana raced on the dirt at Exeter and the asphalt of Unity Raceway, Speedway 95, Spud Speedway, Wiscasset Speedway, Oxford Plains Speedway, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway and the old Ellsworth and Cherryfield Park tracks along with tracks in the Canadian Maritimes.
Dana won his first track championship at Exeter in 1962 in the Class B division driving a 1937 Ford coupe.
It wasn’t until 1966, when he and brother Bob built a ’55 Ford for Unity that Dana became a regular visitor to victory lane.
Two years later, Dana won his first of four track championships at Unity (1968, 1969, 1971 and 1972) and in 1969, he captured his first of three track titles at Speedway 95.
Wherever Dana raced in Maine, the familiar blue #15 Ford ended up in victory lane or in the top five. In 1972, Dana won a 100-lap Open race at Unity on Saturday night for $1,000 then drove to Speedway 95 the next day and won another 100-lap event worth $1,100.
Dana Graves was honored twice at Speedway 95 with the Driver-of-the-Year award.
Dana and wife Dorothy make their home in Hermon, Maine.

Silas "Si" ParlinDriver

Silas ‘Si’ (or Cy) Parlin was considered by many who watched him race and those who raced against him as "one of the best dirt track drivers" in Maine.
Oxford Plains Speedway and Beech Ridge Speedway were Si’s "home" tracks for most of the 1950’s. In 1952, he won the opening day race at Beech Ridge – the beginning of a dominating year where Si won his first track championship. And, he was just as dominating at his other "home" track where he won back to back track championships at Oxford in 1953 and 1954.
In the early 1950’s, Si frequently raced on dirt tracks in Quebec until the track promoters told him to stay away because he won too much.
Si moved to Massachusetts in the late 1950’s where he built winning race cars for others as well as himself, winning races at the old Peabody (MA) Speedway and Norwood (MA) Arena.
He returned to Maine following his retirement as a race driver in the early 1960’s. Si Parlin used his wealth of racing experience and mechanical skills to help many local racers.
Si Parlin passed away in October 2005.

Al RobinsonDriver/Builder/Mentor

Al Robinson was a race car driver, builder and teacher.
Unity Raceway was Al’s home track, beginning his racing career on the dirt half-mile in the 1950’s. Al easily adapted to the asphalt when the raceway made the change from dirt in the 1960’s.
Al raced both the modified coupe and bomber divisions at Unity but he is most remembered for driving the metallic blue #62 Ford coupe. It was a family affair as brother Ernest drove the #61 while brother Prescott drove the #63.
A frequent visitor to victory lane, Al was the high money driver at the raceway in 1966.
Possibly his most significant contribution to racing was as a mentor to his three sons - Jeff, Tim and Al - and to two young, inexperienced drivers - Stan Meserve and Pete Silva - in the early 1960’s.
Al taught his sons, Stan and Pete about building and maintaining a race car as well as lessons in driving on the track, lessons which produced championships for the young drivers.
Al passed away in 1970 due to complications from diabetes.